Chapter 20

At 11:00 Saturday morning Mamoru pulled up in front of Usagi's house. He was hoping today went well. He was excited, but nervous at the same time. This would be the first time in a month that him, ChibiUsa, and Usagi would be doing something together. He quickly settled his nerves, deciding to let the day play out. He would handle whatever happened. If things turned badly, he would handle it.

He knocked on the door, and waited. Ikuko opened it with a bright smile.

"Hi Mamoru. Please come in. The girls will be down in a minute." Ikuko said, letting him in.

"Thank you. How have they been?" Mamoru asked quietly.

"Better than they were." Ikuko answered.

They had no more time to talk as the sound of feet were heard barreling down the stairs. Before Mamoru knew what happened something collided with his legs, as something else collided with his chest, and two excited female voices squealed out "Hi Mamo". All he could do was laugh, and wrap an around each body attached to him.

"Hi girls." Mamoru said with a smile.

ChibiUsa was, surprisingly, the first one to pull back from him. She looked up at him, and smiled. It was then that he noticed she was wearing the outfit Usagi got her the previous weekend. Usagi had been right, she did look adorable.

Usagi pulled back a moment later, he saw she was wearing her matching outfit. They looked amazing together. It made him smile.

"Are you two ready to go?" He asked.

"In a second. Mamo, this is for you." ChibiUsa said, as she handed him a piece of paper.

It was the picture she told him she colored for him. She had done a fantastic job, and even signed the bottom of it. She didn't write a note, but that didn't matter to him. He saw the time, and effort she put into it.

"Thank you ChibiUsa. It's perfect, and I love it." He smiled, as he kneeled down to give her a hug. He felt her shudder in his arms, but he said nothing.

"You're welcome." ChibiUsa responded, as she pulled back. Mamoru looked up at Usagi, and saw a soft smile on her face.

"She worked really hard on it. I may have to get her a new book because she's done so many already." Usagi said.

"Come on. We gotta go. We don't wanna be late." ChibiUsa said as she grabbed their hands, and started pulling them toward the door.

"I think she is excited." Mamoru said with a chuckle.

"Yeah. She's been talking about this for days." Usagi laughed.

It didn't take long for them to be loaded in the car, and on their way. ChibiUsa sat in the back seat, and chattered away about her week, what she hoped to make in the art class, and the animals she wanted to see at the zoo.

"Oh Mamo. I forgot to give you these last night, but here are the papers for the hospital." Usagi said, pulling a small stack of papers out of the purple messenger bag she had been carrying.

"Thanks. I'll turn them in tomorrow." Mamoru said as he put them between the seat and gear shift.

"Are you really going to volunteer at the hospital, Usagi?" ChibiUsa asked.

"I want to, yes." Usagi answered.

"Why? Won't it be sad with all those sick people?" ChibiUsa asked, sounding confused.

"It will be, but that's why I'm doing it." Usagi answered.

"That doesn't make sense." ChibiUsa responded.

"Well see, I'll be working with kids on art projects. Kids who are sick or who have family who are sick. Art should help brighten up their day. Maybe make them happy, even for a little bit. Everyone deserves some happiness. Especially sick, sad, scared little kids. I want to give them that." Usagi said.

"Oh. I guess that makes sense." ChibiUsa said thoughtfully.

They were quiet for the rest of the drive. When they got to the Art Center, both girls jumped out of the car quickly.

"Wait a minute girls. I want a picture of you two before you get all messy." Mamoru called as he pulled out the camera he brought with him.

The three of them decided on having the picture taken in front of the Art Center sign. Usagi stood behind ChibiUsa, and clasped her hands around ChibUsa's front, right in front of her heart. It looked like ChibiUsa wanted to pull away, but she didn't. Instead she smiled, and posed for the picture. Just as Mamoru snapped it, a woman stopped, and offered to take a picture of the three of them together. The picture was of him standing next to Usagi with his arm across her shoulders, and his other hand on ChibiUsa's shoulder. Usagi put one arm around his waist, resting her head on the his side, and her other hand, holding ChibiUsa. Once the pictures were taken, they went into the Art Center.

"Mamo. Can you stay with ChibiUsa while I go do my paperwork please?" Usagi asked him.

"Of course. Come on ChibiUsa. Lets go look at the projects displayed." Mamoru responded, and took ChibiUsa's hand. After Usagi walked away, he lead ChibiUsa over to some of the paintings on the wall.

"Mamo. Why is she doing all of this stuff for me?" ChibiUsa asked quietly.

"It's like she told you last weekend, because she loves you." Mamoru answered.

"But why. I haven't been very nice to her. It doesn't seem very smart to be nice to someone who is mean to you." ChibiUsa protested.

"It's Usako's way. She is very forgiving."

"That doesn't seem smart though. It just leaves you open to be hurt more."

"Usako doesn't see it that way. To Usako, when you love someone, you don't give up on them. She knows that sometimes when people are angry, hurt, sad, scared, or lonely, those feelings can make you lash out, and hurt others. Even when they don't mean to. Usako has always believed you can love someone thru their pain, and that you shouldn't leave that person to live with their pain, alone. She believes everyone needs some one there to show them that no matter what they're feeling, they are not alone, and someone loves them. She doesn't force people to talk about what is going on. She's just there for them, loving them, supporting them, being their friend. She knows that when they're ready, they'll talk about it, and she'll be there for them when they are. She never judges them for how they're feeling or what they're going thru either. She's just…well she's just there. It's her way. Does that make sense?"

"I guess. Has anybody ever not let her do that?"

"Almost, once. It took that person seeing the person they love almost dying in front to them to see it, but they did in the end."

"Oh. Do you think I deserve love like that from her?"

"What I think, ChibiUsa, is that you are still a young girl, going thru a lot right now. That while you have made mistakes, you can learn from them, and do better."

"That's not what I asked."

"You're right it's not, but I can't answer that question. Only you can decide what you deserve."

"Oh. Do you…do you forgive me?"

"Honestly ChibiUsa, I can't say that I do right now, but I am willing to give you the chance to prove to me that you can do, and be better. That will take time though, and won't be easy. I will be watching, and listening. You see, I am the hard to Usako's soft. While she is easily forgiving, I am not."

"Just like my mama and papa. The only person papa forgives easily is mama."

"Well that would make sense. Someone has to look out for, and protect your mama from people that would hurt her. Even those closest to her."

"Yeah. He really does do that."

They spent the rest of the hour looking at the projects set up around the front of the Art Center. They laughed at some of the crazy looking pieces, but ChibiUsa seemed to have a lot on her mind. He didn't push though.

"You two ready?" Usagi called out from behind them.

"Yeah." ChibiUsa answered.

"Oh Mamo. The director said you can join the class if it's not full. Otherwise you'll have to just watch."

"Oh great. Lopsided mug, here I come." Mamoru said. ChibiUsa giggled, and they followed Usagi to the classroom.

The class was full, so Mamoru couldn't join in, which was fine by him. He sat in a chair not fair behind the girls stations to watch. Usagi helped ChibiUsa put on her smock, and get her supplies. ChibiUsa did snap at Usagi a couple of times, but Usagi just smiled at her, and explained she was only trying to help. Mamoru decided not to get involved, just sit back, and watch.

Once the class got started, the girls seemed to be having fun, even though they were both turning into huge messes. They both had clay, up to their elbows, and Usagi had a streak of clay in her check. He got up at one point to snap a picture of them in all their messy glory. He did notice that instead of just jumping in and helping when ChibiUsa seemed to be struggling, Usagi would ask if she wanted help. If ChibiUsa said no, Usagi would shrug, and say ok. If ChibiUsa said yes, Usagi was quick to help her. He saw Usagi looking at ChibiUsa's project funny after awhile, she finally got the nerve up to ask what was plaguing her.

"ChibiUsa, what are you making?" Usagi asked.

"Well since Mamo couldn't make his own thing today, I decided to make him his lopsided mug." ChibiUsa said with a huge grin.

"Oh. That's funny. I'm making him a lopsided bowl. He'll have a matching set." Usagi said with a laugh.

Mamoru couldn't help, but laugh at the pair. Only they would come up with a way to include him. The three of them were reduced to laughter, until the instructor glared at them. Usagi just shrugged, muttered grouch under her breath, giggled, and got back to work. He quickly snapped pictures of both lopsided pieces before going back to his seat. He knew he would display both with pride for years to come. It wasn't long before the instructor came over to see what the girls were doing.

"Both of your pieces are lopsided. Let me show you how to correct that." The gray haired woman said.

"We're making them lopsided on purpose." Usagi said with a smile, and ChibiUsa nodded.

"Why" the instructor asked.

"My boyfriend, Mamo, back there is not good at art. When I had asked him if he wanted to take today's class with us, he said he would probably end up making a lopsided mug. When I asked the director today if he could join in the class, she said only if there was space, which there isn't. He said I guess no lopsided mug for me so I guess we both decided he still needed his lopsided pottery." Usagi respond with a smile and a giggle.

"Oh. Well that's….ummm…well that's different. Although he'll probably won't be able to use them."

"That's ok. He already has his favorite mug and bowl any way. These are just to make him laugh."

"Well alright. Have fun."

"We will."

The instructor walked away, shaking her head. She probably thought the girls were crazy. He didn't care. His girls were happy, and that's really all that mattered.

At the end of the class, they put their pieces in the kiln to be fired, cleaned up, and the threesome headed to the zoo. On the way Mamoru heard Usagi's stomach growl loudly.

"I'm hungry." Usagi said softly.

"You're always hungry." ChibiUsa piped up from the back seat. Mamoru looked at her thru the mirror, but she just smiled.

"I brought us a picnic, so we could eat before we go in the zoo. I figured we'd set it up in the park across from the zoo." Mamoru responded

"Ok." Usagi said.